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Kaori Sakamoto
|languages = Japanese|coach = Mitsuko Graham, Sonoko Nakano|(ws)_world_standing = 3|height = 159 cm (5' 2.5")|gender = Female|eye_color = Dark Brown|ethnicity = Japanese|sp = 76.95 - 2019 World Team Trophy|fs = 146.70 - 2019 World Team Trophy|home_town = Kobe|locations_of_training = Hyogo|year_began_skating = |country_represented = Japan |place_of_birth = Kobe|began_skating = 2004 (Age 4)|combined = 223.65 - 2019 World Team Trophy|club = Kobe FSC|choreographer = Benoît Richaud, Shae-Lynn Bourne|former_choreographer = David Wilson, Masahiro Kawagoe, Massimo Scali, Sonoko Nakano, Yukina Ota, Kenji Miyamoto|native_name = 坂本花織}}'Kaori Sakamoto '(坂本花織 Sakamoto Kaori, born April 9, 2000) is a Japanese figure skater. She is the 2018 Four Continents champion, the 2017 World Junior Championships bronze medalist, the 2017 and 2018 Skate America silver medalist, the 2019 Japanese national champion, and the 2018 Japanese national silver medalist. Personal Life Sakamoto's hobbies include swimming and origami. In 2017, she signed an affiliation agreement with Sysmex Corporation, which will help to fund the financial costs of her competitive figure skating career. Career 2016-17 Season Sakamoto's season began at the 2016 JGP France in Saint Gervais. She received second place after performing a near-clean short program and freeskate, behind Alina Zagitova. Sakamoto's second Junior Grand Prix event was at 2016 JGP Japan in Yokohama. She led the short program by 0.80 points. In the freeskate, she placed second after under-rotating a jump, behind Marin Honda. She received the highest overall scores, and she won a Junior Grand Prix event for the first time, qualifying her for the 2016-17 JGP Final. At the 2016-17 JGP Final, Sakamoto placed second in the short program. A fall in the freeskate placed her in fourth in the segment, and third overall. Later that year, Sakamoto placed 7th in Japanese nationals and won Japanese Junior nationals, thus qualifying for the 2017 World Junior Championships. Sakamoto earned the bronze medal at 2017 World Junior Championships, having placed third in the short program and freeskate. She did not receive a single negative GOE from any of the judges during the competition. 2015-16 Season Sakamoto's first major competition of this season was at 2015 JGP Latvia in Riga. She received the third highest score in the short program after only missing an edge on the triple lutz. Despite a fall in the freeskate, she was able to manage second place in the freeskate and overall, behind Maria Sotskova. Sakamoto's second Junior Grand Prix event was at 2015 JGP Poland in Torún. She finished the short program in third place after a fall, and finished the freeskate in fourth after falling twice. This put her in fourth place overall, and she was subsequently named as the first alternate for qualifying for the 2015-16 JGP Final. After placing 5th and 13th at Japanese junior and senior championships respectively, Sakamoto qualified for the 2016 Winter Youth Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway. At the Youth Olympics, she placed fifth in the short program and sixth in the freeskate, and sixth place overall. 2014-15 Season Sakamoto's first major competition of this season was at 2014 JGP Japan. She was situated in sixth place after the short program. During the freeskate, she endured three falls and ended up in seventh place overall. Sakamoto qualified for her first Junior Worlds after placing 2nd and 6th at Japanese junior and senior championships respectively. At Junior Worlds, she placed 4th in the short program. A fall during the freeskate caused her to drop to sixth place overall. 2013-14 Season This season was Sakamoto's first international season. Her first major competition was at 2013 JGP Czech Republic. She was in seventh place after the short program. She placed sixth in the freeskate and overall after receiving deductions for falling and performing for longer than the allotted time as a result of the fall. She failed to qualify for Junior Worlds after placing 15th at Japanese nationals. Programs Exhibitions ISU Results (Season bests highlighted in bold, current personal bests italicized) Medal Record (In chronological order) Small Medal Record (Only awarded at ISU Championships) Social Media Instagram: sysmex_figureskatingteam (jointly owned with Mai Mihara) Sources https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaori_Sakamoto https://www.statsonice.com/skater/Kaori/Sakamoto/ http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00014151.htm http://www.isuresults.com/ws/ws/wsladies.htm http://www.sysmex.co.jp/en/corporate/news/2017/171002.html Category:Figure Skaters Category:Singles Category:Japanese skaters Category:Seniors Category:Youth Olympians Category:Mitsuko Graham Category:Junior National Champions Category:Junior Grand Prix Final Medalists Category:Figure skaters of Japanese descent Category:Junior Worlds Medalists Category:Ladies' Singles Category:Kobe FSC Category:Benoît Richaud Category:Masahiro Kawagoe Category:Massimo Scali Category:Sonoko Nakano Category:Yukina Ota Category:Kenji Miyamoto Category:Four Continents Medalists Category:Four Continents Champions Category:Olympians Category:2000 Births Category:Living Figure Skaters Category:David Wilson Category:April 9 Births Category:Senior National Champions Category:IJS skaters Category:Japanese-speaking Skaters Category:Shae-Lynn Bourne